Image: Steve McAlister/The Image Bank/Getty Images
About This Quiz
The biodiesel quiz will test your knowledge about biodiesel components, biofuel history and biodiesel pros and cons. Take the quiz and see how much you know about how biodiesel works.
According to the National Biodiesel Board, how much biodiesel was sold in the United States in 2006?
50 million gallons
150 million gallons
250 million gallons
Biodiesel sales have steadily risen -- along with oil prices -- from 500,000 gallons sold in 1999 to 250 million in 2006.
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What does the "xx" stand for in the Bxx biofuel grade?
signifies petroleum in the fuel
refers to a petroleum-free fuel
indicates the percentage of biodiesel in the fuel
Although biodiesel can be used in its pure form, it's usually blended with standard diesel fuel. Blends are indicated by the abbreviation Bxx, where xx is the percentage of biodiesel in the mixture.
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What biofuel grade is pure biodiesel?
B0
B1
B100
Since the "xx" in the fuel grade refers to the percentage of biofuel in the mixture, B100 means 100 percent biodiesel.
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What common characteristic is shared by all biodiesel sources?
Biodiesel sources are combustible.
Biodiesel sources contain fat.
The common thread shared by all biodiesel sources is that they all contain fat in some form.
Biodiesel sources are plant-based.
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What process do facilities use to convert raw fat into biodiesel?
transesterification
Raw fat or oil must first undergo a series of chemical reactions in order to become fuel. There are a few different ways to make biodiesel, but most manufacturing facilities produce industrial biodiesel through a process called transesterification.
glycerol conversion
ethanolization
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Which part of the raw fat molecules make up biodiesel?
glycerol
fatty acids
esters
During transesterification, the triacylglycerol is transformed to form esters and glycerol. The esters that remain are what we then call biodiesel.
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What type of fuel did Henry Ford think the Model T would run on?
peanut oil
ethanol
Henry Ford expected his Model T to run on ethanol, a corn product, but petroleum entered the picture and proved to be the most logical fuel source.
gasoline
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Which is not a benefit of biodiesel?
reduced dependence on foreign oil
made from renewable resources
can be readily used in most gasoline engines
Biodiesel can be used in most diesel engines, not gasoline ones.
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According to the National Biodiesel Board, B100 biodiesel could cut what percentage of carbon emissions from automobiles?
44 percent
78 percent
B100 can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 78 percent and lower the carcinogenic properties of diesel fuel by 94 percent.
92 percent
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How much power does the average diesel engine lose when fueled by biodiesel?
none
5 percent
10 percent
In some engines, using biodiesel can cause a slight decrease in fuel economy and power. On average, there is about a 10 percent reduction in power. In other words, it takes about 1.1 gallons of biodiesel to equal 1 gallon of standard diesel.
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You Got:
/10
Steve McAlister/The Image Bank/Getty Images
